For three decades, San Francisco Symphony and the city’s Unified School District have teamed up for Adventures in Music. It’s a program that takes musical performances into every public school, exposing the students to musical ideas, as well as bringing the kids to Davies Symphony Hall to hear the Symphony. Mayor Mark Farrell helped celebrate the 30th anniversary at school performance last week.
There’s more information at the San Francisco Symphony‘s website.
Sakurako Fisher, the President of the Symphony, says the organization’s interest in education goes right to their roots. “We, the San Francisco Symphony, were founded over a hundred years ago to bring music to our entire community, not just for a privileged few. That was, and remains, our mission today. In fact, our second-ever concert as a brand new, sort of merged organization that became the San Francisco Symphony, was to schoolchildren. It is truly in our DNA… Nothing compares to seeing young minds expanding and growing through exposure to not only the musical performances, but also through the integration of music into the lessons being taught by our city’s public school teachers every day.” The program seeks to make sure that every public school student between first and fifth grade has repeated opportunities to hear live concerts at their schools, as well as going to Davies to hear the Symphony, in concerts especially for them. There are also curricula that teachers can use to prepare for the program, and discuss it afterwards. At the Sanchez elementary school performance last week by the percussion ensemble called Caribbean Express, Mayor Mark Farrell celebrated the thirty year partnership with an official proclamation. He says one of the things he likes best about it is its inclusiveness, throughout the city. “We need our children, and those in our public schools here that we’re celebrating here today to have the opportunities to be part of our arts community. To inspire them. To be the next artist, to be the next member of the symphony. To do whatever they’re going to do in life, but to inspire and enlighten, and to open their minds.”
